Pyatigorsk

Pyatigorsk is a spa resort in southwestern Russia at the edge of the Caucasus Mountains, named after five peaks that rise in the surrounding area. Houses and sanatoriums spread across gentle slopes along the Podkumok River, and parks with old trees link the different neighborhoods together.

The settlement began in 1780 near a fortress and received official recognition as a spa resort in 1803 after Russian physicians documented the healing qualities of the springs. Throughout the 1800s, writers and nobility came here, and infrastructure developed rapidly into a network of sanatoriums and bathhouses.

The city celebrates a close connection to Russian literature, and many visitors walk through parks and tree-lined streets following the footsteps of the poet Lermontov. Local bathing traditions have evolved over generations, and you can see older residents carrying jugs to collect spring water, drinking it as part of their daily routine.

More than 40 mineral springs with different temperatures and compositions are scattered across the city, mostly found in parks or near sanatoriums. Most visitors spend several days to try different water sources and walk the surrounding hills.

A chairlift climbs Mount Mashuk and brings visitors to a platform just below the summit at nearly 1000 meters above sea level. Below the mountain lie natural caves and grottoes formed by the dissolution of limestone over thousands of years.